Pittsburgh Steelers Exit Meeting: OC Ryan McCollum
Experience: 2 Years (1 with Steelers)
The Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t count on Ryan McCollum being their backup center, but he stepped up to the plate. They had Nate Herbig and rookie Zach Frazier battling for the starting job, the loser being the backup. A season-ending injury for Herbig thrust McCollum into the backup role, though, which proved important.
While it did not mark his NFL debut, McCollum did start two games for the Steelers last year. Around midseason, Frazier missed two games due to injury, with McCollum filling in. In all, he played 154 snaps, and he filled in admirably.
His first start came against the New York Jets. With McCollum in the middle of that line, the Steelers rushed for 149 yards and two touchdowns. Marking Russell Wilson’s debut, he also threw for 364 yards and two touchdowns.
A week later, the Steelers rushed for 167 yards with Ryan McCollum at center, throwing for 278. The offense didn’t seem to miss much of a beat at all without Zach Frazier. That’s a testament to McCollum, who has been around the block despite his lack of experience.
In fact, McCollum came out of Texas A&M in 2021, so he has been in the league for four years. The Steelers first signed him in training camp in 2022, though he didn’t make his in-game debut until this past season. The Steelers did elevate him for a game or two for depth in 2023, but he did not play.
Now the question becomes, how much do the Steelers like Ryan McCollum? Are they comfortable with him as their backup center, especially with a young starter? Are two starts enough to show that he knows what he’s doing, or is that misleading? After all, the Steelers’ offense went through some significant ebbs and flows throughout the year. They were on a role when he had the opportunity to play.
And McCollum also benefited from playing against inferior competition, the Steelers’ second-half opponents much more challenging. Had he played against, say, the Philadelphia Eagles, that would be another story. But no team expects their backup center to play as well as their starter, and certainly not against elite fronts.
The question remains, though, about where he stands. Will the Steelers feel compelled to provide serious competition for McCollum in that backup center role? They could simply re-sign Nate Herbig, of course, who can play both guard and center.
The Pittsburgh Steelers find themselves at home, the inevitable result of another early playoff exit. This is a repeated pattern for the organization, with no clear end in sight. As the Steelers conduct their own exit meetings, we will go down the roster conducting our own. Who should stay, and who should go, and how? Who should expect a bigger role next season, and who might deserve a new contract? We’ll explore those questions and more in these articles, part of an annual series.
